In the aftermath of Luke's suicide, his sister Kate struggles with single motherhood and family betrayal while his niece Audrey fights her grief over losing Luke, who has been a substitute father. By the author of The Tracks of Angels. 18,000 first printing.

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Review

Dwyer's style is engaging . . . this is writing you can trust (LA Times Book Review)

'A woman who reassembles her life and achieves greater maturity in her work is the protagonist of Dwyer's impressively nuanced second novel (following the well-reviewed The Tracks of Angels)...Dwyer moves gracefully from character to character and from past to present. She gets the intergenerational dialogue just right, often with a flash of humor, and the distinctive voices ring true. Even jaded readers will be moved by this novel of quiet metamorphosis' Publishers Weekly 26 Oct 98

Lyrical, finely-drawn and a splendid first novel (NEWCASTLE EVENING CHRONICLE)

A very impressive first novel (Good Book Guide)

Lyrical first novel (Belfast Telegraph)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

A lyrical novel about families for fans of Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer reviews

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
15 reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsVery moving book

ByMissTempleon 23 October 2013 - Published on Amazon.com

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I read Kelly Dwyer's book after taking her class at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival ("Plotting the Plot in a Novel," which I loved, by the way). I would classify this book as literary fiction, which is not something I read often. Normally, I'm more into popular fiction/action/thriller type stuff. But I enjoyed Ms. Dwyer's writing style. It was very easy to read, the narrative flowed marvelously. It's a moving portrait of a small family with a tangled past, and how one member's death/suicide, while tragic, brings them together and helps the family heal old wounds. The book deals with depression in a non-maudlin, straightforward kind of way, and the characters are normal, realistic people struggling with daily life as we all are.

Self-Portrait with Ghosts tells the story of a woman, Kate, and her daughter, Audrey, who are forced to cope with the the suicide of their brother/uncle Luke. The story is told in alternating chapters, told in the present via Kate/Audrey, and in flashback via Luke. These flashback chapters explain Luke's life and what leads to his suicide. What emerges from this is that Luke is desperately, almost hopelessly depressed, and the rest of the family is plagued by problems too. The result of Luke's suicide is that it ultimately brings the family together, particularly Kate and her estranged sister Colleen. Clearly the saddest character in the book is Luke, who is extremely depressed, to a level that anti-depressants cannot help. He seems, in short, to be wired differently in a way that is incompatible with life. Luke is presented as the kindest and least flawed character. In Dwyer's presentation it's almost as if luke *has* to die. He's the saintly sacrifice that mends his family's wounds. Luke is kind, he's quiet, he gets along with all of his family members, he's generous. These are all things of which the rest of the family falls short. The irony in the story is that Luke's calmness and kindness are what allow the family to stay divided. His moderating influence preserves the divide. Ultimately, I'm struggling to find the larger point of this book. There's a great deal of sadness, some heartfelt family moments, but there didn't seem to be a larger takeaway. While engaging enough to read, it's not the sort of book that left me thinking about it afterward.

The story is about a woman whose sister runs off with her husband. She is left alone to raise her daughter as a single mother. Her brother, with whom she is very close, steps in and serves as a surrogate father to her daughter. Tragically, her brother commits suicide. The story shifts back and forth from different perspectives examining the family dynamics and the nature of love and revenge.

Luke Flannigan had been a depressed individual, who struggled to cope with his role of being the central focus of his family, but he was wary and mentally tired. Ultimately, his demons defeated the accolades and respect, and Luke killed himself.

The death of Luke sends the rest of the extended family into an emotional catastrophe. His sister Kate, struggling with being the single mother of a teen, wonders whether she should marry her current date. Kate also begins to feel that the past needs burying alongside her beloved brother. She leans towards forgiving her sister for taking away her spouse. Her daughter Audrey is in shock because Luke had replaced her biological father. With Luke's death, everyone knows that the past needs revisiting so that the future can be free of guilt and recriminations.

SELF PORTRAIT WITH GHOSTS is a well-written family drama that dwells on the impact on the present from the ugly ghosts out of the past. Kelly Dwyer proves her talent by being able to scribe a beautiful tale that allows insight into the before and after effect of a suicide, especially the prime family person. The ending is a wee bit unrealistic because years of resentment and anger, and the present need to grieve, just does not abruptly vanish as easily as occurs within the novel. Still, Ms. Dwyer paints a brilliant family drama that should be must reading for everyone.

Luke Flannigan had been a depressed individual, who struggled to cope with his role of being the central focus of his family, but he was wary and mentally tired. Ultimately, his demons defeated the accolades and respect, and Luke killed himself.

The death of Luke sends the rest of the extended family into an emotional catastrophe. His sister Kate, struggling with being the single mother of a teen, wonders whether she should marry her current date. Kate also begins to feel that the past needs burying alongside her beloved brother. She leans towards forgiving her sister for taking away her spouse. Her daughter Audrey is in shock because Luke had replaced her biological father. With Luke's death, everyone knows that the past needs revisiting so that the future can be free of guilt and recriminations.

SELF PORTRAIT WITH GHOSTS is a well-written family drama that dwells on the impact on the present from the ugly ghosts out of the past. Kelly Dwyer proves her talent by being able to scribe a beautiful tale that allows insight into the before and after effect of a suicide, especially the prime family person. The ending a wee bit unrealistic because years of resentment and anger, and the present need to grieve just does not abruptly vanish as easily as occurs within the novel. Still, Ms. Dwyer paints a brilliant family drama that should be must reading for everyone.